Car-door.



H. D. EHLE.

c1111 DOOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I0 1918.

Patnted Apr. 1,1919.

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BY W

ATTORNEY.

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HENERY D. EHLE, 0F DI TLUTH, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT E. MGFARLANE, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

CAR-DOOR.

Application filed .Tune 10, 1918.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Banner D. EHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Doors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in rail road car doors and has special reference to the inner sectional door, the office of which is to prevent the contents of the car from engaging the outer door thereof or leaking therethrough as would be the case in the event of the car being loaded with granular material such as sand, gravel, fine coal, grain or the like.

The necessity of a simple, practical and durable grain door is well recognized in the art and the primary object of my present invention is to provide such a door.

Another object is to provide a door of this character which is easy of manipulation and one which may be readily stowed away and remain in such position regardless of the ordinary motion of the car.

Other objects and advantages of the peculiar construction will appear in the further description of the invention. 7

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and in which like reference characters represent like parts Figure 1 is an inside elevation of a door opening in a car equipped with one of my improved doors, and in its closed position.

Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal sectional view on the line A-B, Fig. 1, looking downward. r

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the central lower portion of the door, showing how a lifting bar may be conveniently applied, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofa fragmental portion of the central lower part of the door.

1 represents the side wall of the car, 2 the door opening and 3 the door which latter is composed preferably of a plurality of thicknesses of boards. The outer face of the door .is entirely smooth and flush and the door is reinforced upon its inner face by a partial frame construction comprising the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

SeriaI No. 239,134.

upright members l, 5 and 6 and the horizon- These plates do not,'of necessity, have to be as extensive as shown for the purpose of performing their principal specific functions, but inasmuch as they are essential, it is deemed expedient to make them as illustrated, as by such construction, they add materially to thestren th and durability of the door.

The plate 9 has an extension or lip 10 upon the outer edge thereof for engagement, when the door is in its closed position, intermediate of the wooden stop 11, which is of the same thickness and height as the door, and the metal catch 12.

The stop is permanently fixed to the side wall of the car adjacent the edge of the opening and the catch is secured to the stop, the

upper approximately one half of the catch being bent outwardly away from the stop just sutficient to result in the proper tight fitting of the lip 10 between it and the stop. By this means of connection'at the free end of the door, it is evident that the latter may be readily raised or lowered vertically without any adjustment whatever of the locking device. p 1

At the opposite end, the door is pivotally and adjustably attached to the side of the car adjacent the opening, by there being a vertically elongated slot 13 formed entirely through the door and through the covering plate 8, and through which slot the supporting bolt 14 extends, it having a suitable nut and washer upon its outer end which at all times impinges the outer face of the plate 8 sufficient to keep the door snugly against the side of the car, and yet permit of ready manipulation thereof, the bolt being fixed within the Wall of the car.

The lowermost end of the slot 13 is slightly elongated longitudinally of the door as at 15, the object of which is, when the door is in its stowed position as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1, to allow it to settle slightly downward with the bolt 14 occurring in said elongation of the slot, thus preventing the door from moving forward toward or into the opening without first being raised somewhat to dislodge the bolt 14 from the elongation 15 of the slot.

A block 16 is permanently fixed to the side of the car adjacent or on the floor thereof and acts as an additional rest for the door when in its stowed position.

A large double lipped holding catch 17, preferably of metal, is fixed to the inner side of the car and is so positioned as to receive and hold the uppermost edge of the door when stowed, the lip 18 being double so as to engage the thinner portion of the door upon both sides of the reinforcing member 4.

A further means for holding the doorin its stowed position may be employed in the form of a pivoted hook 19 made of a metal strap and pivoted at 20 in any suitable manner. This hook is designed to drop down over the lip 10 when the door is stowed, and positively hold the latter against forward movement without the hook first being raised.

It is evident that either of the above de scribed means for preventing the dislodgment of the stowed door may prove sufiicient for all purposes, but I prefer to use both to insure against any abnormal circumstances which might arise.

In opening or closing this door, it may be pivotally moved upon the bolt 14 at various points along the slot 18, however, both the first and last motions of the door, when being either opened or closed, must necessarily be vertical and which necessity provides means for normally holding the door against any horizontal movement Whatever when in its extreme opened or closed position.

To provide for moving the door vertically, an L-shaped casting 21 is embedded centrally within the lower outer edge of the door and securely fastened thereto by means of suitable screws or bolts 22 and 23. This casting has formed in the outer face thereof a series of notches 2 1, preferably three in number as shown, they being for the reception of the end of a suitable pinch or crowbar illustrated at 25 and which'is usually employed about cars for such or like purposes.

As a means for insuring a tight joint be' tween the bottom edge of thedoor and the floor of the car, I employ a strip of strong fabric such as canvas or the like illustrated at 26, the edge of which, upon the inner side of the door, is enlarged by reinforcing with a suitable cord or the like as at 27 and upon which the grain ormaterial with which the car is loaded will rest, thus having a tendency to hold the door down as well as keep the joint thereunder tight.

This strip is held snugly against the under edge of the door by means of the metal plate 28 having suitable screws therethrough and through the strip into the lower edge of the door.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes within the scope of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a car door pivotully mounted at one lower corner thereof by a bolt fixed to the wall of the car passing through an elongated slot in the door, of an L-shaped extension at the lowermost corner of the slot for the reception of the bolt when the door is in its upright stowed position to prevent its moving horizontally.

2. The combination with a pivotally supported car door of the character described requiring bodily vertical movement at its initial opening action, of an L-shaped slot cooperating with the pivotal support for holding the door against horizontal movement when open, and supporting means necessitating the door being moved vertically bodily at the commencement of its closing action.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENERY D. EHLE.

Witnesses H. L. LALIBERTE, S. Geo. STEVENS.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

